Close Your Eyes
by Kristen Elizabeth
Summary: Somewhere between everyone's truths lies reality.
1. First Questioning of the Suspect

Disclaimer: In case you weren't aware of it, none of these characters belong to me.   
  
Author's Notes: I need to stop thinking.   
  
Dedication: To the gang.   
  
****   
  
Close Your Eyes   
by Kristen Elizabeth   
  
****   
  
"Can we get you anything, Miss Peacecraft?"   
  
"Dorlian."   
  
"Excuse me?"   
  
The prisoner seated at the interrogation table lifted her head. Dull blue eyes stared flatly at the detectives from behind dirty blond bangs. "I don't go by Peacecraft anymore. My name is Relena Dorlian."   
  
The two men exchanged a glance. "All right. Miss Dorlian...can we get you anything? Coffee...water...soda?" one asked, politely.   
  
"No." Relena paused. "Thank you."   
  
The same detective, the older one, opened a file that he had in his hand. "All right. Let's get started then. Now, you understand that by waving your right to an attorney, anything you say can..."   
  
"I know. The man who arrested me told me all of that." She looked down at her hands. There were still traces of blood on her skin. "I have nothing to hide. Not that I know of anyways."   
  
"Ah yes..." The second detective, a man barely older than Relena herself, cleared his throat. "The alleged blackout."   
  
"You can call it 'alleged'. It won't make me remember any more than I do, though."   
  
After another look, the older Preventer detective pulled out a chair across from Relena and sat down. The wood creaked under his weight. "No one is disputing the fact that your memories are jarred, Miss Dorlian. We just need to walk you back over the facts. Perhaps doing so will bring some things back to you." He leaned forward. "But...this is still a murder investigation. If you knowingly withold any information..."   
  
"Everything that I can remember, I will tell you," Relena assured him.   
  
The detective nodded. "All right." He seemed fond of the phrase. "Why don't you start at the beginning?"   
  
Relena didn't blink. "How far back are we going, detectives? My conception...my birth...my adoption? Grade school..."   
  
Impatient, the younger detective held up his hand. "Why don't you just tell us about the part where you murdered..."   
  
"What my partner means to say is...you pick the jumping off point. You tell us how everything started. We'll go from there."   
  
"Fine." Relena wiped her hands on the drab slacks they had issued her upon her arrest. But the blood on her hands was dry and would not come off. "I suppose you could say it all started a week before my birthday. My 21st birthday. I've never really liked birthday parties....not since my 15th anyways, but my publicist said it wouldn't just lift my spirits, it would be a good political opportunity. Don't ask me how; that's her job to figure out, not mine."   
  
The detectives watched her as she took a moment to collect her thoughts. She lifted her head and looked at them with those dead eyes. "Could I have some water?" The younger detective left the room and came back a few minutes later with a paper cup. Relena drank as though she hadn't for days. When she was finished, she continued. "I had no idea who to invite to the party. I have business acquaintances, but no real friends to speak of. I had made sure of that. It was around that time that I was on L2-175 for a treaty talk. I ran into someone I had known a long time ago, Duo..."   
  
"Maxwell. Owner and operator of a salvage shop. Possible military background," the younger detective read off the file. "The first person at the scene of the crime."   
  
Relena shrugged. "Anyways, we talked for a little while and he invited me back to his home where we talked some more with his girlfriend..."   
  
"Hilde Schbeiker. His business partner and live-in girlfriend. Known military background with the OZ organization. Called in to Preventer headquarters when the body was discovered."   
  
"Are you going to keep doing that?" Relena rubbed her temples.   
  
The older detective shot his partner a stern look. "Go on, Miss Dorlian."   
  
She sighed. "When I told Duo about the party, he invited himself and Hilde, which I certainly didn't mind. He said he would bring others, but he didn't say who. I really didn't care; I knew the one person who I wanted to come, wouldn't."   
  
"And who would that have been?"   
  
Relena ignored the question. "But I was wrong, because he came. I suppose I would have been disappointed if he had been predictable." The paper cup crumpled in her blood-stained hand.   
  
"Why don't we move on to the night of the party?" the older detective suggested. "Unless anything important happened before it...?"   
  
She shook her head; the long strands of her hair brushed her upper back. "Not that I remember, no." A shaky breath later, she went on. "The party was nice. I danced with Quatre...Winner, yes I know. CEO of Winner Industries and sole heir to the Winner fortune. You don't have to tell me that."   
  
The younger detective smirked. "But can you remember that he was the one who found you in the garden with the gun in your hands?"   
  
"No," Relena whispered. "I don't remember anything after...." She stopped.   
  
"After what?" the older detective prodded.   
  
Relena's chin wobbled. "I don't know....I can't remember..."   
  
"It's all right. Take your time, try to reach way back. What happened at the party?"   
  
"Why don't you tell me?" Relena cried. "You must have interviewed everyone there. Don't they remember??"   
  
The older detective nodded. "We've interviewed most everyone there, except the ones closest to the actual events. We wanted to get a statement from you first. All the partygoers were able to tell us was that after the birthday cake was cut, you disappeared. The body was discovered awhile later and shortly after that, Quatre Winner found you in the garden. Do you remember any of this?"   
  
Relena nodded. "The cake was vanilla with pink roses."   
  
Frustrated, the younger detective slammed the thin manila folder onto the table in front of the Vice Foriegn Minister. "Do you think this is a joke?? A man died last night...and you're the only one who could have killed him! Drop this amnesia bit and tell us the truth. What happened at the goddamned party??"   
  
She stood up, raising her five foot eight frame as tall as it would go and looked the detective straight in the eye. "I may not remember much, but I do know one thing." The detectives held their breath until she spoke again.   
  
"I did not murder Heero Yuy."   
  
****   
  
TBC


	2. Interrogation of Witness #1

Disclaimer: La, la, la...not mine...la, la, la.   
  
Author's Notes: After much debate, my inner voices have decided to go ahead and post this second part in honor of my having been chosen to be on the staff of FSU's undergrad literary magazine. And now, all the voices are getting drunk thanks to Tini, my inner bartender.   
  
Dedication: To Bob, my muse.   
  
****   
  
Close Your Eyes   
by Kristen Elizabeth   
  
****   
  
"Look, I don't know what you're expecting me to tell you."   
  
The younger detective leveled his eyes with the violet ones that stared at him, cooly amused "We're expecting you tell us what happened, Mr. Maxwell. The whole truth and nothing but the truth."   
  
An infuriating smile spread on the braided man's lips. "How do you know that my truth is the same as anyone else's?"   
  
"Tell you what." The older detective paced just behind Duo's chair. "Why don't you just tell us what you know and leave it at that? Starting from when you ran into Relena Dorlian on L2-175. Can you do that, Mr. Maxwell?"   
  
Elbows on the table, he leaned forward. "You don't really think she murdered him, do you?"   
  
The younger detective snorted. "You don't really think she's innocent, do you? I mean, we only found her covered in blood and holding onto a gun, the same caliber as the bullets the coroner just pulled out of his body."   
  
Duo shook his head. "She didn't murder him."   
  
"Then who did?" When Duo failed to come up with an answer, the detective continued. "You can start talking anytime, Mr. Maxwell."   
  
After a long moment, he began to speak. "When I heard she was coming to my colony, I had to see her."   
  
The older detective frowned. "Miss Dorlian says she ran into you accidently."   
  
"I'm sure she thinks that she did." Duo crossed his arms over the dried bloodstains on his tuxedo shirt. He was quiet for another minute. "If you know anything about Relena, you ought to know that she doesn't lie. So it's fucking ridiculous that you think she could have taken a gun and in cold-blood shot the man she lov..." Duo stopped.   
  
The detectives looked at each other conspiratorially. "Do you know something about Miss Dorlian's relationship with the deceased that we don't?"   
  
Duo looked up at them and laughed. His words were mocking. "I know more about 'Miss Dorlian's' relationship with 'the deceased' than Miss Dorlian does."   
  
"Really?" The younger detective uncapped his pen. "Why don't you let us in on it?"   
  
He lowered his head; chestnut brown bangs fell over his face. "First of all...you've got it all wrong. It didn't start when I saw her on L2. It all started much earlier than that...."   
  
"Do go on."   
  
Duo closed his eyes as he began to talk. "I met Relena Dorlian during the height of the Eve Wars. We...um...went to school together. Yeah, school. That's pretty much the truth, I guess. The funny thing about truth...it can be as subjective as any philosophy." He shook his head. "Woah, deep thought. Okay, back to the story.   
  
When I met her, she was already helping him out. It bugged the hell out of me, but it also made me stop and think. A wisp of a girl was willing to put herself in front of a gun for someone she barely knew. I guess I thought I was the only one capable of sacrificing my life. But I was very wrong. After those first few encounters, I didn't see her again for a long time. We both fought the battle in different parts of the world and on different kinds of battlefields." Duo paused to take a breath.   
  
"We met again when it was finally all over. Man, had she ever grown up. I only say this 'cause Hilde's not in the room, but the little wisp of a girl had turned into a real knockout. Of course, he was such a moron that he pretended not to see it. I guess that's where it all really started. The masochistic little waltzes they did for the next year. Trowa Barton told me once that he thought they got off more on the idea of each other than on actually being together. But I don't think he was right. There was something there. A connection no one else could see because most people don't look deep enough."   
  
He held up his hands. "Oh, don't get me wrong. They never fucked. That would have required actually getting to know each other. All the time they were together as protector and protectee, they were never just Heero and Relena. They were the soldier and the princess. They didn't know anything more about each other. I mean, did he have any idea that she liked tulips and that she couldn't stand wearing breeches? And did she know that he kept a journal and prayed at a Shinto shrine? I don't think so."   
  
The younger detective cracked his jaw. "Can you arrive at a point any..."   
  
Duo shrugged. "Hey, you two asked about their relationship! I'm just telling you what I know. So...after a year of being together and never being together, Heero split for points unknown. Well, unknown to most. He called me a week afterwards and told me where he was. She got on with her life. I kept in touch with them both for awhile, but after another year, Relena stopped talking to anyone. When I told him, he asked me to keep an eye on her because he couldn't do it himself. Something about it being too hard. Personally, I just think he realized how much he missed her. But pride is a really shitty thing.   
  
Anyways, I got caught up in my life and didn't even really think about Relena until I read that she was coming to L2. I faked the whole 'meeting in the streets' thing. Let me tell you...she looked like hell when I not so accidently bumped into her. Have you ever picked a flea off a cat or a dog and held down in a bowl of water and watched it drown? It kicks all those little legs, begging you to let it breathe. Relena had that look in her eyes, like she was on her last breath of air and at any second, her legs were going to stop kicking.   
  
Geez, that's a disgusting analogy. Sorry about that.   
  
After talking to her for awhile, I did the manly thing. I rescued her. Took her home, made her eat a decent meal and invited myself to her 21st birthday party. I was already planning to drag him along with Hilde and me. Hey, it would have been a great birthday present! At least, that's what I figured. I didn't know he was already planning to go. And I certainly didn't know he was..." He stopped short.   
  
There was a long pause before Duo blinked. "Sorry. I...uh...lost my train of thought."   
  
The older detective massaged the aching space between his eyes. "Anytime you want to get to the murder, Mr. Maxwell...."   
  
"Relena isn't capable of murder, you idiots." Duo plucked at his bloody shirt. "She'd do anything for a friend in need. She has a heart of pure fucking gold."   
  
"What happened at the party, Mr. Maxwell? It's not a difficult question."   
  
Duo abruptly stood up. "How the hell should I know? I spent the whole time with my girlfriend underneath the staircase!" He winked. "She has a thing for public places." His face became serious again. "We only came out when we heard the gun go off upstairs. No one else heard it 'cause that damn orchaestra was playing so loud." He took a breath. "We ran up the stairs and just opened doors until...until we found him."   
  
The younger detective leaned forward, eagerly. "Did you see Miss Dorlian?"   
  
"All I saw was blood." Duo pulled his shirt away from his chest, displaying it. "You see it, too. Heero's blood. Everywhere. Too much blood..." He lifted the back of his hand to his mouth. "Someone shot him and made him bleed so fucking much." The braided man grabbed the edge of the table for support. "He was supposed to be perfect! No one should have been able to get close enough to him to..." His voice faltered. "No one."   
  
"No one...except maybe Miss Dorlian?"   
  
Duo had no response.   
  
The older detective spoke up. "Do you have anything else to say, Mr. Maxwell?"   
  
"Just one thing," Duo said in a voice so quiet and low that it almost wasn't audible. "She would do anything for a friend." He straightened his back, ignoring the wetness on his cheeks. "Don't fucking forget that."   
  
****   
  
TBC


	3. Interrogation of Witness #2

Disclaimer: NOT MINE. No...really.   
  
Author's Notes: Wow, I'm glad to have sparked some people's interest with this story. Please, continue to tell me your theories as the story progresses. I mean, I know how it's going to end, but I'm very interested in what you all are interpreting along the way;) And thanks for the sweet feedback, too!!   
  
Dedication: To my Japanese class, the craziest compliation of uniquely wacky individuals ever gathered in one place, for fifty minutes, four days a week.   
  
****   
  
Close Your Eyes   
by Kristen Elizabeth   
  
****   
  
"Hilde Petra Schbeiker of the German colony on L2-85, former Ensign in the OZ organization and mobile suit flight operator."   
  
The petite woman at the interrogation table smiled sweetly. "You can just call me Hilde."   
  
"How about we call you Duo Maxwell's girlfriend?"   
  
She lifted her shoulders. "That would be true, too. But really...it's more like he's *my* boyfriend."   
  
"You know that we've already talked to him, don't you?" The younger detective watched her nod. "He told us all about the deceased and Miss Dorlian's relationship. Do you have anything to add to what he said?"   
  
"Well, since I don't know exactly what he told you, no. I don't."   
  
The older detective sighed. "You knew both of them, didn't you? The victim and the suspect? And you don't have any comments on their relationship?"   
  
Hilde thought for a minute. "It was complicated."   
  
"Fine." The man rubbed his shoulder wearily. "Why don't you tell us about that meeting on L2-175. Mr. Maxwell told us he meant to bump into Miss Dorlian. Is that true?"   
  
She nodded. "He felt bad about not trying harder to contact her in that last year. She didn't talk to anyone though; I doubt she would have seen him even if he did try."   
  
"This is all fascinating, really. But why don't you just skip to the part that explains why Miss Dorlian took a gun and..."   
  
Hilde's cornflower blue eyes narrowed. "Relena didn't murder Heero. She loved him. He loved her. Yeah, sometimes their relationship was fucked up. But show me a relationship that isn't."   
  
"They loved each other." The older detective looked puzzled. "But they weren't lovers, right?"   
  
"Who told you that?"   
  
"Your boyfriend."   
  
Smiling sadly, Hilde shook her head. "There are things Duo doesn't know, detectives." She paused. "Relena and Heero were lovers in every sense of the word. I'm the only one who knows that."   
  
The younger detective rolled his eyes. "Why were you alone party to this information, Miss Schbeiker?"   
  
She glared at him. "Because I'm the only one who caught them in bed together, you idiot." A look was exchanged. The older detective gestured, indicating that she should go on. Hilde sighed and began her story.   
  
****   
  
We picked him up on L1 on our way to Earth. It was a total shock when Duo told me that he was the reason we were making the stop. I hadn't seen him in ages. Not since he left her. Or she let him go. Or he ran away. Or she pulled away. Whatever happened between them, only Duo and Trowa had spoken to him since. And Trowa was the only one who had seen him.   
  
So, imagine my surprise when he was there, in the space port with a bag in his hand, waiting to join us on our trip to Earth. Duo didn't seem at all fazed. But then, Duo rarely lets anything faze him.   
  
I remember poking him in the ribs. "What is he doing here?"   
  
He gave me that innocent look of his. The one I don't trust. "He said he had to go with us. That's all I know." Before I could reply, he waved to his old friend. "Heero!" he shouted, causing most everyone around us to turn and stare. "Heero...buddy! You look like shit."   
  
He was right, but he didn't have to say it so plainly. Heero brushed off the insult without a second thought. "It's been a hard year," was all he said. He nodded at me, expecting no greeting. His eyes were so lifeless. Not that they had ever sparkled or shone before. You know what I mean. Duo said it best. He looked like shit.   
  
Most of the shuttle trip was quiet. Heero stared out the window at the stars as if he had never seen them before. Or perhaps, knowing what I know now, as though he knew it would be the last time he would see them up close. I tried to get him to eat one of the sandwiches I had brought for Duo, but he only took it and held it in his hand. Eating did not seem to be on his agenda. I had to wonder what was.   
  
It had to be her. Any idiot, including Duo, could see they were still in love with each other. And that without one another, they were slowly dying. He was coming for her. Maybe to tell her that he loved her and couldn't bear to be without her for another day. Maybe they would break down and confess their mutual love and live happily ever after.   
  
Yeah, I woke up from that fantasy about two seconds later.   
  
If it were possible, he got even quieter as the car we had taken from Earth's spaceport approached the mansion overlooking the sea. I hadn't been there in a long time; she had cut herself off so well that past year. No one had been there, except maybe Quatre Winner. But even that I wasn't sure about; she might have kept even him away.   
  
After we arrived, it was a full two hours before she made an appearance. I will never, ever forget the look on her face when she saw him standing in the parlor, waiting for her to come down the stairs. Trying to describe it could never do it justice. She looked like she wanted to scream, cry, shout and laugh all at the same time. There was a spark of life there between them both. Just by being around each other. That connection...I can't even think about it now without wanting to break down.   
  
Sorry, I didn't bring any tissues. I thought I finished crying. You know, I wish I could say my tears were for Heero. I am sad that he's gone, don't get me wrong. But really...I'm crying more for her.   
  
Yes, I know...you want me to talk about finding them in bed. It wasn't a great shock, I'll tell you that much. If anything, it was more of a relief. Like they had finally managed to put everything from the past behind them and were ready to start a new relationship and a new life together. I don't remember what I came into her room for. I think it might have been bobby pins. At any rate, I didn't knock and the door wasn't locked....you get the picture.   
  
They weren't madly going at it. I tell you that in case your little detective imaginations are running away with you. They were asleep, peacefully naked in each other's arms. This was the day before her birthday party. Two days after we arrived. They didn't wake up; I simply let them be. No one else needed to know. Not even Duo.   
  
Everyone likes to think that they were such distant people. That Heero had his life and Relena had hers. When all of this hits the press, I'm so afraid of what they'll say about them. The soldier and the princess. The victim and the accused. What you don't understand and what the public will never understand is this. They loved each other, probably with more conviction and passion than you'll ever feel for anyone in your entire life. Yes, they waited too long to do something about it. They let all the pain of the past carry more weight than the promise of the future. But it didn't destroy them. In the end, they found their way back to each other.   
  
But...it was the end. The very end. And now...it's too late.   
  
****   
  
"Is that it?"   
  
Hilde blinked. "What more do you want me to say?"   
  
"Well..." The younger detective sighed as though he were speaking to a child. "We were sort of hoping you could shed some light on the murder. You did hear the shots. You did find the body."   
  
"Yes. I did." She closed her eyes. "I'll be seeing his body for the rest of my life."   
  
"Do you think she did it?"   
  
"I already told you..."   
  
The younger detective shook his head. "I want to hear you say it again."   
  
Hilde lifted her chin. "Relena did not murder Heero."   
  
"Did she kill him?"   
  
"Are you deaf? I just said...."   
  
"You said she didn't murder him. I'm asking if she killed him."   
  
Hilde's reply was a long time in coming. "The gun belonged to Heero. I tell you that because you'll figure it out soon enough, anyways. It was his, left over from the war. I knew it was as soon as I saw it pulled from her hand. The only other time I had ever seen it was...." She stopped.   
  
"Was when, Miss Schbeiker?"   
  
"When...when Heero taught her how to load and fire it."   
  
The older detective drew in a breath. "Do you think that Relena Dorlian killed Heero Yuy?"   
  
"You know..." A tear slipped down Hilde's cheek. "I don't know what I think anymore."   
  
****   
  
TBC


	4. A transcribed interrogation of Character...

Disclaimer: People aren't mine.   
  
Author's Notes: Too short of a chapter to warrant any deep thoughts   
  
Dedication: Ditto on the dedication;)   
  
****   
  
Close Your Eyes   
by Kristen Elizabeth   
  
****   
  
To whom it may concern.   
  
An excerpt from the transcribed interrogation of Lieutenant Lucrezia Noin Peacecraft, sister in law of Relena Dorlian, the aforementioned suspect in custody. Interrogation given by Preventer Chief William Lemott the morning after the murder of Heero Yuy, March 14, After Colony 203 at Preventer Headquarters on Mars.   
  
Chief Lemott: Did you have any contact with your sister in law in the days before the murder?   
  
Lieutenant Peacecraft: My husband and I contacted her on the morning of the party to wish her a happy birthday. We weren't able to get to Earth to celebrate with her.   
  
CL: And how did she seem to you during that communication?   
  
LP: She seemed content.   
  
CL: How could you tell?   
  
LP: Just a feeling I got. We haven't talked to her much in the past year, but when we had, she always seemed so sad. This time she didn't have that sad look on her face.   
  
CL: Have you ever known your husband's sister to be a violent person?   
  
LP: Relena is a pacifist.   
  
CL: But there was one incident several years back, wasn't there? During the war? Something about her firing a gun at a high ranking officer during a diplomatic function?   
  
LP: There were mitigating circumstances there. She's not usually like that at all.   
  
CL: So, would it be safe to say that Miss Dorlian is a relatively peaceful person until you make her angry?   
  
LP: I think that everyone, even pacifists, have a boiling point. But if you think that -   
  
CL: And when your sister in law reaches her boiling point, is it in her nature to take a gun and try to shoot someone?   
  
LP: Relena isn't a murderer.   
  
CL: So, she didn't ever really mean to hit that high ranking officer?   
  
LP: Of course not. If she had wanted her dead, Une would be -   
  
CL: She'd be dead. Right?   
  
LP: I don't think I want to say anything more.   
  
CL: Just one more question, Lieutenant. Did your sister in law mention the deceased, Heero Yuy, on the morning of the murder when you spoke with her?   
  
LP: Yes.   
  
CL: What did she say about him? I'm authorized to remind you that you are under obligation as a Preventer to answer all my questions truthfully.   
  
LP: She said - She said he had come back to her.   
  
CL: Anything else?   
  
LP: She also said that it was too late.   
  
****   
  
TBC 


	5. Interrogation of Witness #3

Disclaimer: Not much of what you see here actually belongs to me, except the plot and two detectives and the words.   
  
Author's Notes: Please keep continuing to tell me your theories. I love hearing them:)   
  
Dedication: To Anastasia, the fluffiest bit of clawless kitty love in the world. Don't kick her, feed her treats and you'll get along great.   
  
****   
  
Close Your Eyes   
by Kristen Elizabeth   
  
****   
  
"Please forgive me if I seem a bit....shaky." Quatre Winner looked down at his trembling hands. "I'm still in shock, I think. It doesn't seem quite real yet. Heero....he's dead..."   
  
"Mr. Winner?" The older detective said after a moment, bringing him back to attention. "Are you up to this? We can wait...if you need some time."   
  
The blond man nodded. "Thank you. I would appreciate that."   
  
The younger detective threw up his hands. "Wait....I don't care who you are!! You're going to get questioned the same as everyone else...right now, while it's all still fresh in your mind. Got it??"   
  
Unexpectedly, Quatre's eyes grew narrow. "You're just dying to get something on her, aren't you? All you want is to see her behind bars, right?"   
  
"Well..." The other man shrugged indifferently. "That's generally where we like to put murderers."   
  
"She's not a..." Quatre stopped before the word could pass his lips. "It's not your place to judge her."   
  
The older detective rubbed his shoulder, working out a kink the long night had produced in his muscles. "We can wait, but not for too long, Mr. Winner. Our job, callous as it might seem, is to get to the bottom of what happened tonight. And if you have information that can do that, I think you're under an obligation to tell us."   
  
Quatre was quiet for a minute. "What do you know so far?"   
  
"Hey...we're asking the..." The younger detective was cut off by his partner.   
  
"We know that the deceased and the suspect were lovers." He frowned. "This doesn't surprise you?"   
  
"No." The faint traces of an ironic smile appeared on Quatre's lips. "It doesn't."   
  
The younger detective took over. "They had been apart for a year, during which time no one saw the suspect. Everyone gathered back together for the suspect's birthday. Then, sometime during the party, she took his own gun and shot him twice directly in the..."   
  
"As you can see...." His partner sighed. "Anything else you could tell us would be greatly appreciated."   
  
"The deceased and the suspect," Quatre said softly. "Do you have to call them that? Can't you call them Heero and Relena?"   
  
The older man smiled sadly. "In our line of work, you have to learn to detach yourself or else you'll go crazy. Now, Mr. Winner. Please. Help us."   
  
Quatre's head lolled foward; he rested his forehead in the palm of his hand. "I'm afraid I can't."   
  
"We could have you arrested for..."   
  
Once more, the older detective interrupted his impetitous partner. "This can all be off the record, Mr. Winner. Just give us something that could lead to a piece in the puzzle."   
  
The blond man shook his head sadly. "I can't do that. I'm sorry."   
  
"What sort of secrets are you hiding?" the younger detective asked, suspiciously. "You know something....something big. Don't you?"   
  
"It doesn't matter if I do or not." Quatre looked up. "Do what you like with me. But my promise to my friend is more important to me than anything else."   
  
The younger detective opened his mouth, but his partner spoke first. "What I want to know is very simple, Mr. Winner. Why did the victim...Heero Yuy....why did he leave and not come back for a year? And why did she refuse to see anyone in that year? If I remember correctly, she didn't even make any public appearances. Did it hurt her that much? If so, he couldn't have loved her as much as Miss Schbeiker seems to think he did or else he couldn't have caused her that much pain, right?"   
  
Quatre said nothing.   
  
"Maybe that's the truth of it." The younger detective stroked his chin. "Maybe he didn't love her. Maybe he rejected her. And when he came back, he did it all over again."   
  
"It's more than..." Quatre's voice was soft.   
  
"I think we're onto something here," the younger man declared. "He left her and she went crazy. Refused to see anyone. Locked herself away, planning her revenge."   
  
"No," Quatre said flatly. "You're wrong."   
  
He went ignored. "And when he showed up at her birthday party, it all became too much for her. He fucked her one last time, making her think there was still a chance. Then....bam! Another rejection!"   
  
The blond man balled up his fist. His slender frame shook ever so slightly. "Stop. You have no idea what you're..."   
  
"She couldn't take it. Her insanity built. She found his gun...she found him."   
  
"She didn't.... She couldn't. She was...she had been..."   
  
"And without even one second thought, she blew him away. Two shots, straight through the chest...SAYONARA!!!"   
  
"Pregnant!!"   
  
The one word was followed by a thick blanket of silence. Quatre's chest rose and fell as he caught his breath. "She had been...pregnant. That year. He left....he didn't want to be a father."   
  
Another long pause followed. The only sound in the interrogation room was Quatre's heavy breathing. The older detective finally spoke. "He left her alone to have their baby?"   
  
Quatre nodded, on the verge of tears. "She told me a month after he left....that when she told him she was pregnant, he couldn't deal with it. He wasn't ready, she said." His head lifted; blue-green eyes flashed. "She did *not* resent him. She forgave him....throughout her entire pregnancy, she never had a bad word to say about him. Do you understand?? She loved him despite everything!!"   
  
The younger detective looked at his partner. "What do you suppose being pregnant and rejected can do to a person's psyche? Especially when that person just waltzes back into your life a year later?"   
  
His partner ignored him. "What happened to the baby?"   
  
Quatre lifted his shoulders. "She never said. I assume though...that she gave it away. I wasn't there when she gave birth, but I saw her a week before. Healthy and very pregnant. You know....she looked happy."   
  
"Mr. Winner." The older detective put a hand on his shoulder. "Was she happy to see him again? When he came for her party?"   
  
"He never even asked about the baby." Quatre bit his lip; a drop of blood appeared on his pale skin. "He acted like her entire pregnancy had never even happened." His eyes grew dark. "He didn't deserve her."   
  
The detectives looked at each other. "Where were you when the murder took place, Mr. Winner?"   
  
Quatre didn't even blink. "I was discussing textile imports with the CEO of my company's major rival."   
  
"Can you prove that?"   
  
"Unfortunately." Quatre closed his eyes again. "Unfortuantely, I can."   
  
****   
  
TBC 


	6. Second Questioning of the Suspect

Disclaimer: Not mine. Period.  
  
Author's Notes: Thought I had forgotten about this story, didn't you? Not me....it takes me awhile sometimes, but I try to finish everything I start;)  
  
****  
  
Close Your Eyes  
by Kristen Elizabeth  
  
****  
  
"All right, Miss Dorlian. The last time you were in here..." The younger detective snorted. "Well, you forgot to mention a few *tiny* details." Relena blinked and waited for him to continue. "So...why don't you tell us about the ba..."  
  
"Hey." The older detective held up his hand. "Let's go about this the right way, shall we?" He cleared his throat and scooted his chair closer to Relena's. "Now...Miss Dorlian. Is there anything you'd like to clarify about the year before your birthday? Anything you might have neglected to tell us?"  
  
Relena shook her head. "No," she whispered.  
  
"Miss Dorlian." The older man reached for her pale hand. "Perhaps it might bring back some more of your memories of that night...if you'll talk about the things that happened last year."  
  
"I don't know...what you want to know." Relena licked her dry lips. "It was just a year...no different than...any other year."  
  
The younger detective shook his head. "You must really think we're stupid, Miss Dorlian. Do you think we don't know? Did you think we wouldn't find out about the..."  
  
"The baby?" she whispered. "Is that what you're talking about?"  
  
"We'd rather you talk about it, Miss Dorlian," the older detective replied. There was a long pause.  
  
"We're waiting!"  
  
Ignoring the younger man, Relena folded her shaking hands in her lap. "Yes. I did have a baby."  
  
"Who's baby was it?"  
  
Her lower lip quivered. "Heero's."  
  
"You told him about it?" the older man asked, gently. She nodded. "When?"  
  
"I told him...I told him the day I found out." Relena reached for the glass of water they had provided and after a fortifying sip, began her story.  
  
****  
  
I didn't need the store-bought test to tell me I was pregnant. I could just feel it. Maybe that sounds crazy...but since you already think I am, so be it. I felt pregnant. The test just confirmed it.   
  
Not wanting to keep it from him a second later that possible, I arranged to meet with him that afternoon. Yes, I had to arrange to meet him to tell him we were going to have a baby. Don't ask me any more about that, please. It was just the way we were.   
  
I won't ever forget the look on his face when I told him. I could practically see him pulling away. He was so overwhelmed. So was I, but I suppose I was still assuming that we would have each other to help work through the problems my pregnancy presented. When he asked if I had considered not having the baby, I threw all my hopes out the window and faced up to the facts.  
  
Heero wasn't ready, nor did he want to be a father.  
  
He left a couple of days later.   
  
Quatre was the second person to find out. I assume he's the one who told you about the baby. I don't mind...he's always been such a good friend, but I can't expect him to lie for me anymore. I'm surprised he agreed to do it in the first place. But he knew, as well as I did, that being pregnant, unmarried and the Vice Foreign Minister was not a good combination.   
  
He could feel I was pregnant too. When he found me in my bathroom, clinging to the toilet, he held my head, brushed my hair out of my way and said, "He's a cold bastard."  
  
I was too sick to disagree.   
  
We came up with a plan. I would disappear from the media until the baby was born. Moreover, if only to make things easier, I would gradually withdraw from everyone else, too. My friends, my family, my public. Everyone but Quatre. He was my lifeline those long months. Long, lonely months....  
  
****  
  
She was crying and neither detective knew what to say. Finally, the older man put an awkward hand on her shoulder. "Do you love Mr. Winner?"  
  
"Of course I do," she said between sobs. "But not like he wanted me to."  
  
"Mr. Winner said you didn't resent the victim, even though he left you alone and pregnant." The younger detective gave her a hard look. "Is that true?"  
  
Relena's sobs were slowing as she regained control of herself. "I just wanted him back. I kept thinking he would come through my balcony in the middle of the night." She wiped her eyes. "But he didn't. I had his baby. I..." She forced the words out. Forced the truth. "I watched it die in my arms a few minutes later. I buried her...and he never came. He never came until the party." Relena lifted her shoulders. "And then...it was too late."  
  
The younger detective opened his mouth, presumably to ask more about the lost child, but his partner quickly spoke instead. "We're very sorry for your loss, Miss Dorlian." He patted her shoulder. "Was it too late because you had fallen out of love with him? After all you'd been through?"  
  
After a moment of thought, Relena shook her head. "I never stopped loving Heero. It's why I couldn't marry Quatre when he asked."  
  
"Mr. Winner asked you to marry him?"  
  
She nodded. "He loves me. Sometimes...sometimes I wish I could love him like that, too." Her eyes clouded over with fresh tears. "But I can't."  
  
The younger detective gave an audible, exasperated sigh. "So, if it wasn't too late for you to forgive Yuy, what the hell was it too late for?"  
  
Relena's answer was a long time in coming. Her smooth forehead crinkled. "I...I don't know. I can't..."  
  
"Remember. Yeah, yeah...we've been told." The younger man leaned towards her. "I just bet you do, though. And I think you're just not telling us. 'Cause maybe telling us would explain why you blew him away."  
  
She visibly recoiled. "I'm telling you the truth. I can't remember!"  
  
"Was it too late because you'd already made up your mind to get rid of him? Was it too late because you were looking forward to pumping his chest full of lead after what you went through when you gave birth to his unwanted..."  
  
"Hey!" The older detective shot to his feet. "You're out of line," he informed his partner in a dangerous tone.   
  
"She's been holding back vital information from us from the start!" the other man declared. "And she's still doing it!" He addressed Relena. "Aren't you? Aren't you keeping some big secret? I can feel it....so why don't you save us all a little time and energy and just fucking remember!!"  
  
"I can't!!" she screamed. Tears streaked down her cheeks. "I can't remember!! There was something...something he told me. But I can't..." The bout of energy passed and she slumped back down, burying her face in her hands. "I can't remember. I swear....I can't."  
  
The younger detective wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Can't...or won't?"  
  
"Can't..." she whispered. "I can't remember. I can't..." Her voice dropped even more, until the detectives couldn't even hear her. "It hurts too much to remember, Heero. I can't..."  
  
**** 


	7. Autopsy report for the Deceased.

Disclaimer: You know the drill.  
  
Author's Notes: Sorry if you get queasy about this sort of thing.   
  
Dedication: To my dad, who used to make me file autospy reports in his client's files at his office, thus giving me a greater knowledge of the subject than I ever thought I would need until I started this story.  
  
****  
  
Close Your Eyes  
by Kristen Elizabeth  
  
****  
  
Autopsy report for Heero Yuy.  
  
Performed by Preventer Forensic Pathologist Jonathon Brimbsy, M.D. on March the fourteenth, After Colony 203.   
  
Initial observations: Deceased is an Asian male, 22 years old, five foot nine inches, weighing in at 135 pounds. Cause of death is immediately recognizable. There are two sets of entry and exit wounds in the upper chest and back. A closer examination produced excessive gunpowder residue around the bullet holes and revealed cauterized flesh on one of the wounds. My first guess would be that the gun was fired with the barrel pressed against the victim's chest for the first shot and from a distance of no more than a foot for the second shot. Following the path of both bullets, we can conclude that they were both fired from the same direction and same general height. Other than these wounds, the deceased appears to have been in reasonably good physical health at the time of death.  
  
Upper body internal results: The internal organs all weigh in at the proper amounts for the victim's stature. In the heart, there is the path of a bullet straight through the left atrium. Death was quick, if not instantaneous. Liver, kidneys, heart, pancreas, small and large intestines all appear to be normal. However, there are several large masses on the insides of the lungs. A biopsy was taken.   
  
Biopsy results: Malignant tumors. There are no signs of radiation or chemotherapy.  
  
Chemical results: Blood alcohol level is completely normal. No traces of any known illegal drugs or poisons. There were, however, significant amounts of codeine and morphine, both well within normal limits. Hypothetically speaking, the amount present in the bloodstream is consistent with that of a patient under a doctor's care.  
  
Conclusions: Cause of death was most assuredly two gunshot wounds to the upper chest. However, given the results of the internal organ examinations, I would have to say the victim had no more than two to four months left to live without radiation therapy.   
  
Post autopsy notes: The body was taken from the Preventer Medical Bay to a private funeral home for burial preparation.  
  
**** 


	8. Guest list and Discovery

Disclaimer: Characters don't belong to me.  
  
Author's Notes: Sorry it's taken so long;) Thanks for all the feedback and for caring:)  
  
****  
  
Close Your Eyes  
by Kristen Elizabeth  
  
****  
  
Guest list for Relena Dorlian's 21st birthday party   
  
-Ante, Theodore (Minster of Defense) and Mrs. Ante  
  
-Atwood, James (President of the Earth-Space Alliance) and Mrs. Atwood  
  
-Barton, Trowa (Preventer Officer)  
  
-Chang, Wufei (Preventer Officer) and Sally Po-Chang (Chief Preventer Physician)  
  
-Daniels, William (Interspatial Supreme Court judge) and Mrs. Daniels  
  
-Fujitsu, Aiko (Asian Prime Minister) and Mr. Fujitsu  
  
-Gunter, Adolph (European Prime Minster) and Mrs. Gunter  
  
-Hackett, Joseph (Foreign Minister) and Mrs. Hackett  
  
-Laos, Salvador (South American Prime Minister) and Mrs. Laos  
  
-Kingsley, Samuel (Interspatial Supreme Court judge) and date, Samantha Shaw  
  
-Maxwell, Duo (Private citizen)  
  
-Openheimer, Christine (Minister of Internal Affairs)   
  
-Rhys, Alexander (Vice President of the Earth-Space Alliance) and Mrs. Rhys  
  
-Richards, Sarah (Secretary to Relena Dorlian)  
  
-Schbeiker, Hilde (Private citizen)  
  
-Trerice, Colin (Secretary of the Treasury) and Mrs. Trerice  
  
-Turner, William (North American Prime Minister) and Mrs. Turner  
  
-Une, Anne (Executive Chief of the Preventers) and daughter, Mariemaia Kushrenada  
  
-Winner, Quatre (CEO, Winner Industries)  
  
****  
  
"What do you have there?" the older detective asked his partner as he reached across the desk for a doughnut.   
  
The younger man squinted at the paper in his hand. "The guest list for the party." He frowned. "Something's bugging me about it."  
  
"What do you mean?"   
  
"Well...for one thing, Yuy's not even on it."  
  
The older man swallowed and brushed powdered sugar off his tie. "That's because he wasn't invited, remember? He just showed up."  
  
"I understand that. But there's something else." He shoved the paper into his partner's hands. "Take a look at the occupations column. Tell me if something is missing."  
  
After a moment, his partner looked up. "What am I looking for?"  
  
"They're all politicians."  
  
The older man shrugged. "Relena Dorlian *is* a politician. I think it stands to reason that at her party, there would be a lot of..."  
  
"No, look. Look at the transcription of the interview with Quatre Winner." His partner shoved a thick ream of photocopied sheets towards him.   
  
"Why don't you just tell me what you're getting at? Save me the trouble of going through this thing."  
  
The younger man snatched back the transcription and flipped through it until he found the right spot. "When we asked Winner where he was when the murder took place, he said, and I quote, 'I was discussing textile imports with the CEO of my company's major rival', end quote."  
  
His partner sat up straighter. "Wait..."  
  
"Exactly." The younger detective waved the guest list. "Quatre Winner was the *only* CEO of any company to be invited to the party."  
  
"Maybe it wasn't a CEO. Maybe he was just confused...he could have been talking to anyone."  
  
"But he was so specific, man! And when we asked if he could prove it, he said that he could." The younger man leaned forward. "How much do you want to bet that if we re-interviewed every single party guest, none of them will be able to remember talking to Quatre Winner around the time of the murder?"  
  
The older man shook his head. "I'm not a betting man. And when did you have this turnabout? You were ready to convict Relena Dorlian of first degree murder a couple hours ago."   
  
"Hey...I can't argue with the facts. And I'm not saying she's innocent. I'm just saying..." He pulled on his coat. "She *might* not be *as* responsible for Yuy's death as I thought she was."   
  
His partner chuckled and reached for his own jacket. "Or maybe you just realized how pretty she is."   
  
His comment went ignored. "Come on. We can catch Winner in his office if we hurry."  
  
"Hey, hold up. Why are we going straight to Winner?"  
  
"Um..."  
  
"Let's ask around. Talk to some of his friends. See if he had anything to gain from killing Heero Yuy."  
  
"You don't think that his being in love with Relena Dorlian is a pretty big indicator that he might want a rival for her affection out of the way?"  
  
"I'm not saying anything more than this. We can't just waltz into the corporate offices of Winner Industries and accuse their CEO of murder. Let's do our jobs and gather some more facts first, okay?"  
  
The younger man sighed in agreement. "So...who do we start with?"  
  
****  
  
To Be Continued 


	9. Interrogation of Character Witness #2

Disclaimer: Same old, same old.  
  
Author's Notes: The usual stuff.   
  
****  
  
Close Your Eyes  
by Kristen Elizabeth  
  
****  
  
"I've already been interviewed by my direct superiors." Trowa Barton folded his hands on top of his desk. "So, I don't really know how much help I can be to you."  
  
The older detective cleared his throat. "Actually, we were hoping to talk to you about Quatre Winner."  
  
"Quatre?" Trowa lifted an eyebrow. "And you've come to me?"  
  
"Does that surprise you?" The younger detective flipped through a file on Trowa's desk, only stopping when the man gave him a cold look. "We've been told you and Mr. Winner are close friends."  
  
"*Were* close friends," Trowa corrected him.   
  
"Why the *were*?"  
  
"Why do you care?"  
  
The other detective interrupted. "Mr. Barton, anything you could tell us about Quatre Winner, specifically his relationship with Miss Dorlian, would be greatly appreciated. We're not here to pry into your personal life."  
  
Trowa scowled. "You're doing a pretty good imitation of it." There was a long pause. "Tell me what this has to do with Yuy's murder and I'll tell you what I can about Quatre."  
  
"This isn't a trade agreement, Mr. Barton."  
  
"Those are my terms."  
  
The two detectives gave in. "Fine," the older one said. "We believe that Mr. Winner *might* have had something to do with Mr. Yuy's death. But we don't have any concrete evidence as of yet."  
  
Trowa thought for a long minute. "The Quatre I knew wasn't capable of cold-blooded murder."  
  
"The Quatre you knew?"   
  
"The old Quatre. My friend Quatre." Trowa took a breath and let the next words tumble out of his mouth. "The Quatre I loved." He shrugged. "It was going to come out eventually."  
  
"So..." The younger detective cleared his throat. "What happened?"  
  
The Preventer sighed. "Relena Peacecraft...Dorlian. Whatever. She's what happened."  
  
"He fell in love with her?"  
  
"Yes. But more than that, he fell in love with being Quatre Winner."  
  
The older detective frowned. "Could you clarify that one a little?"  
  
Trowa stood up. "The Quatre Winner who could take over his father's colony and company couldn't be gay. Clarified enough for you?"  
  
"He chose the title over you?" The younger detective crossed his arms. "That must have hurt."  
  
There was a pause as Trowa looked out his office window. "I would have done anything for him. But he said it was his responsibility. And when Relena retreated from the world, he stopped speaking to me altogether. I figured out that he had fallen in love with her right away. And I got over it."  
  
"Easy as that?"  
  
"Easy as that."  
  
The older detective looked down at his pad of paper on which he had been taking notes. "So, the old Quater wasn't capable of killing. But what about the new Quatre?"  
  
Trowa turned around. "The same way I would have done anything for him....he would do anything for her."  
  
"Even kill?" the younger detective asked.   
  
"He's killed more men than you could possibly imagine, Detective."   
  
"I don't understand."  
  
Trowa shook his head. "Not important. Is there anything else?"  
  
"Just one more thing." The older detective looked up. "Did you know that Mr. Yuy was dying?"  
  
The Preventer looked back out the window. "The Mercurius and the Vayeate."  
  
"What are they?"  
  
"Experiments," Trowa replied. "Experiments that Yuy and I piloted."  
  
The younger detective raised an eyebrow. "How does that answer our question?"  
  
Trowa continued, unconcerned with the details. "They added a chemical into the air ventilation in the models....I doubt they knew what it could do. Or maybe they did."  
  
"And this chemical in this experiment...has something to do with Yuy's cancer?"  
  
The Preventer closed his eyes. "And mine." His eyes opened. "If you don't have anymore questions..."  
  
"No." The older detective lowered his head. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Barton. And...I'm sorry." He grabbed his partner's sleeve and made a quick exit, leaving Trowa to stare out the window.  
  
Once they were in the hallway, the younger detective let out a breath. "Guy's got rough luck. So, now what?"  
  
The older detective scratched the back of his head. "Time for another chat with Ms. Dorlian."  
  
****  
  
To Be Continued 


End file.
